Devices and methods for providing access to internal component

ABSTRACT

Systems, methods, and devices are disclosed for applying concealment of components of an electronic device. In one embodiment, an electronic device may include a component that is disposed behind a display (e.g., a transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display) that is configured to selectively become transparent at certain transparency regions. Additionally, the electronic device includes data processing circuitry configured to determine when an event requesting that the component be exposed occurs. The data processing circuitry may control portions of the display to become transparent, to expose the component upon the occurrence of the event requesting that the component be exposed.

This application is a continuation of patent application Ser. No.15/240,472, filed Aug. 18, 2016, which is a continuation of patentapplication Ser. No. 13/308,119, filed on Nov. 30, 2011, now U.S. Pat.No. 9,437,132, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference hereinin their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to the industrial design of anelectronic device and, more particularly, to techniques for disposingcomponents of an electronic device behind a transparent display, such asan organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.

This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects ofart that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques,which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed tobe helpful in providing the reader with background information tofacilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statementsare to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.

Electronic devices are becoming more and more sophisticated, capable ofperforming a multitude of tasks using a variety of components built intothe electronic device. Providing increased functionality often involvesadding components to such electronic devices. However, adding morecomponents can lead to a cluttered, unattractive electronic device.

Current techniques for incorporating components into an electronicdevice may be limited by the relative sizes of the components and theelectronic device. The larger the components and the smaller theelectronic device, the less spatial area there may be to incorporateadditional components. For example, a small electronic device where alarge display covers most of the face of the electronic device may notallow for any additional components, such as a fingerprint reader, to beadded to the electronic device. Furthermore, under the currenttechniques, adding new components may harm the aesthetic appeal of thedevice by cluttering the electronic device enclosure, even though theseadditional components may be seldom or never used by many users. Anelectronic device that incorporates multiple components may lose itsaesthetic appeal when covered by visible components, particularly ascompared to a seamless electronic device where very few, if any,components of the electronic device are visible.

SUMMARY

A summary of certain embodiments disclosed herein is set forth below. Itshould be understood that these aspects are presented merely to providethe reader with a brief summary of these certain embodiments and thatthese aspects are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.Indeed, this disclosure may encompass a variety of aspects that may notbe set forth below.

The present disclosure generally relates to techniques for disposingcomponents of an electronic device behind a transparent display.Disposing the components behind the transparent display of theelectronic device, may enable the components to remain hidden from viewwhile not in use. When desired, the components of the electronic devicemay be exposed, allowing the components to suddenly appear as from outof nowhere. In accordance with one embodiment, an electronic device mayinclude a transparent display with a component of the electronic devicedisposed behind the display. Upon detecting an event associated with thecomponent, a processor of the electronic device may make transparent, or“open,” a transparent region (e.g., through generating a local or globalblack spot) of the display to expose the component. The black spot maybe generated when pixels of the display are not emitting light incertain areas. To provide one example, such an event may occur when afeature of the electronic device requests exposure of concealedcomponents. For example, when an image capture application of theelectronic device is not in use, an image capture device and/orassociated strobe may remain hidden behind the display of the electronicdevice. Upon detecting this request, the processor may open one or moretransparent regions (e.g., generate black spots), causing the imagecapture device and/or the associated strobe to suddenly appear frombehind the display.

Various refinements of the features noted above may exist in relation tovarious aspects of the present disclosure. Further features may also beincorporated in these various aspects as well. These refinements andadditional features may exist individually or in any combination. Forinstance, various features discussed below in relation to one or more ofthe illustrated embodiments may be incorporated into any of theabove-described aspects of the present disclosure alone or in anycombination. Again, the brief summary presented above is intended onlyto familiarize the reader with certain aspects and contexts ofembodiments of the present disclosure without limitation to the claimedsubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of this disclosure may be better understood upon readingthe following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device capable of performingthe techniques disclosed herein, in accordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a handheld device representing oneembodiment of the electronic device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the handheld device illustrating anexposed component of the electronic device when the display is off, inaccordance with an embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of a process forexposing a component concealed behind a transparent display;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the handheld device illustrating agraphical user interface of the electronic device of FIG. 1 making useof a component disposed behind the display, in accordance with anembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the layers of a display useful forenabling the techniques disclosed herein, in accordance with anembodiment; and

FIGS. 7A-7C are schematic diagrams of pixel arrangements within thetransparent display, illustrating techniques to tune transparency of adisplay by adjusting the pixel pitch of the display, in accordance withan embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One or more specific embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed below. These described embodiments are only examples of thepresently disclosed techniques. Additionally, in an effort to provide aconcise description of these embodiments, all features of an actualimplementation may not be described in the specification. It should beappreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation,as in any engineering or design project, numerousimplementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve thedevelopers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related andbusiness-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation toanother. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a developmenteffort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be aroutine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those ofordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean thatthere are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,”“including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean thatthere may be additional elements other than the listed elements.Additionally, it should be understood that references to “oneembodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are notintended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additionalembodiments that also incorporate the recited features.

The present disclosure generally provides techniques for enhancing thefunctionality and aesthetic appeal of an electronic device by disposingcomponents of the electronic device behind a display of the electronicdevice. To avoid cluttering the enclosure of an electronic device withvarious components, many different electronic device components may bedisposed behind the display of the electronic device. Perhaps mostnoteworthy are components that, when functioning properly, havetraditionally required external exposure to light or that emit light.For example, these “light-dependent components” may include an opticalscanner (e.g., a biometric fingerprint scanner), an image capturedevice, a strobe, a light sensor, a proximity sensor, or a solar panel.Further, light-dependent components may include components that areconfigured to become visible when light is introduced, such as a printedimage. Each of these components depend on light input or output lightand thus have traditionally had at least a light input or light outputportion of the component externally exposed when incorporated into anelectronic device. Using the current techniques, these light-dependentcomponents may be configured to be exposed from behind the display onlywhen desired, and otherwise may remain hidden from view. Theselight-dependent components may remain hidden while the display isproducing an image (e.g., emitting light) above the component and maybecome exposed when the display is not producing an image (e.g.,emitting light) above the component.

Disposing components of an electronic device behind a display mayprovide an aesthetic benefit to the electronic device by allowing thecomponents to remain unseen and hidden behind the display until accessto the component is desired, creating a more seamless electronic device.Furthermore, the size of the display may increase because as componentsare disposed under the display, more surface real-estate of the deviceenclosure may become available. Additionally, because less surfacereal-estate may be needed to house the light-dependent components, insome embodiments, the electronic device may be reduced in size. Further,the aesthetic value may be greatly increased by allowing exposure tocomponents from areas of the electronic device that a user wouldtraditionally not expect.

With the foregoing in mind, a general description of suitable electronicdevices for performing the presently disclosed techniques is providedbelow. In particular, FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting variouscomponents that may be present in an electronic device suitable for usewith the present techniques. FIG. 2 represents one example of a suitableelectronic device, which may be, as illustrated, a handheld electronicdevice having a transparent display.

Turning first to FIG. 1, an electronic device 10 for performing thepresently disclosed techniques may include, among other things, one ormore processors 12, memory 14, non-volatile storage 16, a display 18with one or more transparent regions 20, image capture device(s) 22, anI/O interface 26, a network interface 28, input structures 30, a strobe32, and a biometric sensor 34 (e.g., a fingerprint reader). As will bediscussed further below, the transparent regions 20 of the display 18may be disposed above certain of these components, such as image capturedevice(s) 22, a strobe 32, and/or an biometric sensor 34. The variousfunctional blocks shown in FIG. 1 may include hardware elements(including circuitry), software elements (including computer code storedon a computer-readable medium) or a combination of both hardware andsoftware elements. Further, FIG. 1 is only one example of a particularimplementation and is merely intended to illustrate the types ofcomponents that may be present in the electronic device 10.

Before continuing, it should be understood that the system block diagramof the electronic device 10 shown in FIG. 1 is intended to be ahigh-level control diagram depicting various components that may beincluded in such an electronic device 10. That is, the illustratedconnection lines between each individual component shown in FIG. 1 maynot necessarily represent paths or directions through which data flowsor is transmitted between various components of the electronic device10. Indeed, as discussed below, the depicted processor(s) 12 may, insome embodiments, include multiple processors, such as a main processor(e.g., CPU), and dedicated image and/or video processors.

The processor(s) 12 and/or other data processing circuitry may beoperably coupled with the memory 14 and the non-volatile storage 16 toperform various algorithms for carrying out the presently disclosedtechniques. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor(s)12 may be stored in any suitable manufacture that includes one or moretangible, computer-readable media at least collectively storing theinstructions or routines, such as the memory 14 and the non-volatilestorage 16. In example, non-volatile storage 16 may include ROM, CD-ROM,or RAM. Also, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on suchmemory 14 or non-volatile storage 16 may also include instructions thatmay be executed by the processor(s) 12 to enable the electronic device10 to provide various functionalities, including those described herein.

The display 18 may be a touch-screen display that may enable users tointeract with a graphical user interface of the electronic device 10.The display 18 may be any suitable type of transparent display, such asa transparent organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, for example.Rather than clutter the electronic device 10, certain components of theelectronic device 10 may be disposed behind the display 18. As will bedescribed in more detail below, the display 18 includes one or moretransparent regions 20 that define areas of transparency in the display18. In some embodiments, the display 18 may include a global transparentregion 20 that encompasses the entire viewable area of the display 18.In other embodiments, the display 18 may include one or more localtransparent regions 20 that encompass only a portion of the viewablearea of the display 18. Local transparent regions 20 may be tailored toany shape or size suitable for exposing one or more underlyingcomponents. For example, such components may be the image capturedevice(s) 22, the strobe 32, and/or the biometric sensor 34. In someembodiments, the components may include a solar panel, light sensor,proximity sensor, indicator light-emitting diodes (LEDs), alternativedisplays (e.g., E-Ink or other low powered displays), and/or reflectiveor colorful objects, such as an Apple logo, that becomes visible whenlight is introduced.

The image capture device(s) 22 may include a digital camera configuredto acquire still and/or moving images (e.g., video). The image capturedevice(s) 22 may include a lens and one or more image sensors configuredto capture and convert light into electrical signals. By way of example,the image sensor may include a CMOS image sensor (e.g., a CMOSactive-pixel sensor (APS)) or a CCD (charge-coupled device) sensor.Generally, the image sensor in the image capture device(s) 22 mayinclude an integrated circuit having an array of pixels, wherein eachpixel includes a photodetector for sensing light from an image scene.The functionality of the image capture device(s) 22 may be enhanced bythe use of a strobe 32. The strobe 32 may include a light-emitting diode(LED) light source configured to illuminate the subject of the imagecapture device(s) 22.

The biometric sensor 34, such as a fingerprint reader, may be configuredto take an optical scan of a subject and compare the scanned image to astored image. The stored image data may be retrieved from the memory 14and/or non-volatile storage 16. Based on the scan by the biometricsensor 34, the electronic device 10 may verify the identity of the user.Identity verification may provide a more secure electronic purchasemethod as well as a more secure unlocking method for the electronicdevice 10.

The I/O interface 26 may enable the electronic device 10 to interfacewith various other electronic devices, as may the network interface 28.The network interface 28 may include, for example, an interface for apersonal area network (PAN), such as a Bluetooth network, for a localarea network (LAN), such as an 802.11x Wi-Fi network, and/or for a widearea network (WAN), such as a 3G or 4G cellular network.

FIG. 2 represents one embodiment of the electronic device 10 of FIG. 1.The handheld device 36 of FIG. 2 may represent, for example, a cellularphone, a portable phone, a media player, a personal data organizer, ahandheld game platform, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, or anycombination of such devices. By way of example, the handheld device 36may be a model of an iPad®, iPod®, iPhone®, or Macbook® available fromApple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif.

The handheld device 36 may include an enclosure 38 to protect interiorcomponents from physical damage and to shield them from electromagneticinterference. Traditionally, many light-dependent components occupiedsurface space of the enclosure 38 external to the display 18. However,in the current embodiment various components are disposed behind thedisplay 18, thus utilizing less surface real-estate of the enclosure 38.For example, the embodiment of FIG. 2 includes an image capture device22, a strobe 32, a biometric sensor 34 in the form of a fingerprintreader, and an image 40 (e.g., reflective and/or colorful object)disposed behind local transparent regions 20 of the handheld device 36.

As depicted, the display 18 may provide a graphical user interface (GUI)42 with icons 44 and a background image 46. When displayed without anyblack regions (e.g., regions where no light is emitted), the GUI 42 maymask the transparent regions 20, and thus the components 22, 32, 34, and40 may not be visible. However, upon desired use of a component, theprocessor 12 (FIG. 1) may generate one or more local black regions byselectively disabling an emission of light over one or more of thetransparent regions 20 above the component. Upon generating the blackregion, the component is exposed through the transparent region 20, andthus becomes visible.

Further, in certain embodiments, one or more components may becomevisible upon removing power from the handheld device 36. For example,FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of a handheld device 36 wherepower is removed from the display 18. Similar to the embodiment of FIG.2, an image 40 is concealed behind the display 18 when the GUI 42 doesnot provide any black spots. Thus, as depicted in FIG. 3A, the image 40is not visible while the display 18 emits light (e.g., provides abackground image 46) over the image 40. However, as depicted in FIG. 3B,when the display 18 is powered-down, the light emitted over the image 40may be reduced, such that the image 40 becomes visible through thedisplay 18.

As noted above, the transparent display 18 may conceal a variety ofcomponents of the electronic device 10, such as the image capture device22, the strobe 32, and/or a biometric sensor 34 such as a fingerprintreader, to name a few. To more clearly explain the component concealmentprocess, a general description of such a process 110 will now beprovided as depicted in FIG. 4. The process 110 is intended to providean initial high level overview of the concealment process, with morespecific details of the process, including examples, being describedfurther below.

The process 110 begins at block 112, when a component (e.g., imagecapture device(s) 22) is concealed behind a transparent display 18. Forexample, the component may be concealed by displaying an image (e.g.,emitting light) on the transparent display 18 over the component. Next,at decision block 114, the electronic device 10 (e.g., processor 12 ofFIG. 1) may detect whether an event associated with the component hasoccurred (e.g., a camera application is launched that will use aconcealed image capture device 22). If no such event has occurred, thecomponent may remain concealed behind the transparent display 18, andthe process may flow to block 112. On the other hand, if such an eventhas occurred, the process may flow to block 116, and the electronicdevice 10 (e.g., processor 12) may open a transparent region 20 over thecomponent (e.g., image capture device(s) 22) to expose the component.For example, to open the transparent region 20, the processor 12 maycontrol the display 18 to stop emitting light over a region, creating ablack spot (e.g., transparent region 20) in the display 18. At decisionblock 120, the electronic device 10 (e.g., processor 12) may detectwhether the event associated with the component has completed. If not,the component may remain exposed. Once the electronic device 10 detectsthat the event is complete (e.g., the camera application is closed), inblock 122, the electronic device 10 (e.g., processor 12) may close thetransparent region 20, thus concealing the component.

An embodiment of the process 110 depicted in FIG. 4 is illustrated inFIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the handheld device 36 is shown to contain an imagecapture device 22 disposed behind transparent display 18. Upon selectionof an image capture application by selecting the graphical userinterface icon 44, the camera application is launched. The launching ofthe camera application may represent an event associated with the imagecapture device 22. Upon detection of such an event 130, the processor 12of FIG. 1 may open the transparent region 20A over the image capturedevice 22. Thus, the image capture device 22 may be exposed, allowingimages to be captured by the exposed image capture device 22. Further,additional transparent regions 20 may be opened to provide usability ofother components. For example, in the current embodiment, thetransparent region 20B over the strobe 32 may be opened to provide useof the strobe 32 as a flash for image capture. In some embodiments, theGUI 42 may emphasize the opened transparent regions 20 (e.g., 20A and20B) by providing GUI 42 images notifying a user of the openedtransparent regions 20. For example, in the depicted embodiment, the GUI42 provides a camera image 132 around the image capture device 22 andthe strobe 32, illustrating the locations of the image capture device 22and the strobe 32.

Turning now to a discussion of creating the transparent regions 20, FIG.6 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the layers present in aparticular embodiment of the display 18. In this embodiment, the display18 includes an OLED panel 150. The OLED panel 150 includes a substratelayer 152 (e.g., a glass substrate layer) on which a thin filmtransistor (TFT) layer may be formed. The TFT layer may define thevarious pixels 154 of the OLED display and allow each pixel 154 to beseparately addressed. In one embodiment, each pixel 154 may include alayer or layers of organic light-emitting diodes 156 printed, deposited,or otherwise formed on the substrate layer 152 and the TFT layer. Eachof the light-emitting diodes 156 may emit specific colors (e.g., red,green, and blue) such that their color combined with otherlight-emitting diodes 156 may form a color image. In alternativeembodiments, the light-emitting diodes 156 may each emit white and acolor filter may transform the white light into specific colors (e.g.,red, green, and blue). The operation of the TFT layer and thecorresponding pixels 154 of the OLED panel 150 may be coordinated and/orcontrolled by one or more driver chips 158 (such as a chip-on glass(COG)) in communication with the TFT layer and/or the one or moreprocessors 12 (FIG. 1).

As previously discussed, the transparent regions 20 may be formed when atransparent display 18 is not emitting light in certain regions. Forexample, the pixels 154 may be transparent, enabling light to passthrough them such that components behind the pixels may be seen when thepixels 154 are not emitting light. However, when the pixels 154 areemitting light, the pixels 154 may not allow light to pass through them,and thus the components behind the pixels 154 may not be seen. Becausethe pixels 154 may be separately addressed, the driver chips 158 and/orprocessor(s) 12 (FIG. 1) may control any combination of pixels 154 tostop emitting light, thus allowing for transparent regions (e.g., blackspots) of numerous sizes and/or shapes to be formed.

The OLED panel 150 may also include a circular polarizer layer 160. Thecircular polarizer layer 160 may absorb a significant amount of thereflected light from the OLED panel 150. Further, the OLED panel 150 mayalso include a cover or external layer 162 (e.g., a cover glass) thatforms the external viewing surface facing a viewer. In certainembodiments the cover layer 162 may perform various color filtrationand/or polarization functions with respect to the light emitted by theOLED panel 150. In one embodiment, the cover layer 162 and the substratelayer 152 may be bonded together, such as by a glass frit bond 164,along all or part of the periphery of the surface and/or substratelayers. In one implementation, the OLED panel 150 is between about 1.5mm and 1.9 mm in thickness.

The background layer 166 may be provided as a single or multiple layerstructure of a solid color (e.g., white) or printed background. Forexample, in one embodiment the background layer 166 includes atransflective layer 168 positioned over a solid-color substrate layer170, such as a white substrate layer. The transflective layer 168 actsto both reflect ambient light and to transmit the color, image, and/orpattern of the substrate layer 170. In one implementation, thebackground layer 166 is between about 0.5 mm and 1.0 mm in thickness.

As discussed above with regards to FIGS. 3A and 3B, it may be desirableto provide a printed image 40. As an alternative to the embodimentdepicted in FIGS. 3A and 3B, where the printed image 40 is presentbehind the display 18, in certain embodiments, the display 18 maycontain the printed image 40. In such embodiments, the substrate layer170 may incorporate the printed image 40 (e.g., a corporate logo,emblem, name, or mark). The printed image 40, such as a logo, may not bevisible when the display 18 is emitting light and thus not in atransparent state. However, when a black region is formed over theprinted image 40 or the display 18 is powered off and, thus, notemitting light, the printed image 40 (e.g., the logo, emblem, or mark)present on or visible through the substrate layer 170 may becomevisible.

It may be desirable to tune the transparency of display 18, such thatcomponents 172 behind the display 18 may be more clearly visible throughthe transparent regions 20. By locally removing portions 174 of thecircular polarizer layer 160, the transparency of the OLED panel 150 maybe tuned to more clearly expose components 172. For example, light thatwould typically be absorbed by the circular polarizer layer 160 mayreflect off of the components 172, thus illuminating them. Further, asillustrated in the depicted embodiment, transparent regions 20 may beformed by cutting out portions 176 of the background layer 166 such thatcomponents 172 positioned behind the background layer 166 may be visiblewhen the display 18 is not emitting an image over the cut out portions176. In alternative embodiments, the entire background layer 166 may beremoved, thus providing a global transparent region 20.

The transparency of the display 18 may also be tuned by modifying thepixel arrangement of the OLED panel 150. While the pixels 154 may besubstantially transparent (e.g., 85% transparent), they may not becompletely transparent. Thus, reducing the density of the pixels 154 mayincrease the transparency of the display 18 by creating light pathwaysin between the pixels 154. FIG. 7A illustrates a typical pixelarrangement 200 for a transparent display 18. In the depictedembodiment, each pixel 154 is enabled to emit a specific color of light.Each pixel 154 is labeled with an “R” for red emission, “G” for greenemission, or “B” for blue emission. Typically, the display 18 may have apixel arrangement with closely spaced pixels 154, or a high pixel pitch.The pixel pitch is the distance between pixels 154 of the same color.For example, in FIG. 7A, the distance 202 between the red pixels isminimal, such that a maximum number of pixels 154 may be placed withinthe display 18.

By decreasing the density of the pixels 154, the transparency of thedisplay 18 may be increased. FIG. 7B illustrates a modified pixelarrangement 210 useful for tuning the transparent regions 20 (FIG. 1) ofthe display 18 by adjusting the spacing, or pitch of the pixels 154. Asillustrated, the pixels 154 are spaced at a greater distance 212 thanthose in FIG. 7A. While the resolution of the display 18 may decreasethrough less densely placed pixels 154, the transparency of the display18 may increase, thus providing a clearer view to or from componentsbehind the display 18.

The increased pixel distances (e.g., decreased pixel density) may beimplemented in the entire display 18 or specific regions of the display18 where increased transparency is desired. In some embodiments, thedisplay 18 may include regions where the pixel arrangement includes nopixels 154. For example, FIG. 7C illustrates one such embodiment of apixel placement 220, where a tuned region 222 contains no pixels 154.Including one or more tuned regions 222 that do not have pixels 154 mayenhance the transparency of such regions 222 by allowing light to freelypass through the layers of the display 18. In some embodiments, thetuned region 222 may be placed in areas of the display 18 where it maybe less likely that a displayed image would be useful. For example, suchtuned region 222 may be implemented at the edges and/or corners of thedisplay 18.

Tuning transparency of a transparent display may result in enhancedusability of components placed behind the transparent display. Placingcomponents that would typically be found on the surface of an electronicdevice enclosure behind a transparent display may increase the surfacereal-estate of the enclosure for a larger display or additionalcomponents. Further, the aesthetics of the electronic device may begreatly enhanced by not cluttering the device enclosure withalways-visible components, but instead creating a more seamlesselectronic device where the components are only visible when they are inuse.

The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way ofexample, and it should be understood that these embodiments may besusceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should befurther understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to theparticular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope ofthis disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a display having first and second regions, wherein the display has pixels in the first region and no pixels in the second region, wherein the pixels of the first region are located on at least two sides of the second region, and wherein the second region is located at the edge of the display; a light sensor aligned with the second region; and a transparent cover layer that covers the first and second regions of the display.
 2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises a proximity sensor.
 3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises a camera.
 4. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light sensor comprises a biometric sensor configured to capture an image.
 5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising: processing circuitry that compares the captured image to a stored image to verify a user's identity.
 6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the processing circuitry completes an electronic purchase in response to verifying the user's identity.
 7. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the processing circuitry unlocks the electronic device in response to verifying the user's identity.
 8. An electronic device, comprising: a display having a first region with pixels and a second region without pixels; a transparent cover layer overlapping the display and having an edge, wherein the display displays images through the transparent cover layer, wherein the second region without pixels is located along the edge of the transparent cover layer, and wherein the second region without pixels extends into the first region; and a light sensor in the second region.
 9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the pixels are located on at least first and second sides of the second region without pixels.
 10. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the light sensor comprises a proximity sensor.
 11. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising a biometric optical sensor in the second region.
 12. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising a light-emitting diode in the second region.
 13. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the second region comprises a black region.
 14. The electronic device defined in claim 8 wherein the edge of the transparent cover layer has first and second portions, wherein the second region without pixels is located along the first portion of the edge, and wherein the array of pixels extends to the second portion of the edge.
 15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the second region without pixels comprises a black region that separates some of the pixels from the first portion of the edge.
 16. An electronic device comprising: a display having a first region that displays images and a second region that does not display images, wherein the second region extends into the first region and has two sides, and wherein the images of the first region extend along the two sides of the first region that does not display images; a light sensor in the second region; and a cover glass that overlaps the first and second regions of the display.
 17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the second region comprises a black region.
 18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 further comprising a proximity sensor, a light sensor, a light-emitting diode, and a camera in the black region.
 19. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the second region is free of pixels.
 20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the light sensor comprises a biometric optical sensor that captures an image of a user, the electronic device further comprising: processing circuitry that verifies the user's identity by comparing the captured image to a stored image. 